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University of Maryland School of Nursing and Cecil College Sign Dual-Admission Partnership Agreement
February 6, 2017
Students will be able to apply to both schools simultaneously and satisfy the requirements of both schools.
Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and Cecil College in North East, Maryland, recently signed an agreement of dual admission that will ensure students’ seamless transition from Cecil’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program to UMSON’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. The program will be available to nursing students this fall.
Through the agreement, students will be simultaneously admitted into Cecil’s ADN program and UMSON’s BSN program while satisfying the requirements of both schools. Students enrolled in the program will receive transfer credits for completed coursework and will be granted special student status, allowing them to take UMSON courses while still working on their associate degree.
“Cecil College is committed to fostering seamless academic progression for associate degree nursing students,” said Laura Schenk, MS, RN, academic progression coordinator, Cecil College. “In an effort to enhance academic progression and promote lifelong learning, the dual-admission program offers students a head start on attaining a BSN and decreasing completion time.
An effort to increase qualified nursing candidates, the agreement will also help further the mission of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Future of Nursing Campaign for Action to advance comprehensive health care change. Specifically, it will address one of the eight goals set forth in the IOM report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health: to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020.
“The faculty and staff at Cecil College have been exceptionally forward thinking on developing and implementing the dual-admission option,” said Nina Trocky, DNP, RN, NE-BC, CNE, assistant professor and associate dean for the baccalaureate program. “This agreement allows us to honor a commitment we’ve made to our students who are pursuing a career in nursing.”
To matriculate to UMSON’s BSN program, students must graduate with an ADN from Cecil and satisfy UMSON’s progression criteria.
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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top 10 nursing schools in the United States. Enrolling more than 1,800 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.